Lewis Hamilton made it three pole positions in a row for the first time in his Formula One career as he confounded himself and his team.
In sweltering conditions, as the Hungaroring basked in 33C heat and the track temperature hit a very rare 50, Hamilton also sizzled in his Mercedes.
The 28-year-old Briton dislodged Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel from top spot in a stunning top-10 shoot-out with a flying lap of one minute 19.388secs, leaving the triple world champion 0.034secs adrift.